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Artworks
TIMANGIAQ PETAULASSIE (1940-) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Birds in the Arctic Sea, 1960 #63Printmaker: KANANGINAK POOTOOGOOK, R.C.A. (1935-2010) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
stonecut, 24.25 x 29.25 in (61.6 x 74.3 cm), framed
24/50Simplicity and motion intertwine beautifully in this work – one of a mere trio of creations by Timangiaq Petaulassie included in the annual Cape Dorset graphic collection. The print is...Simplicity and motion intertwine beautifully in this work – one of a mere trio of creations by Timangiaq Petaulassie included in the annual Cape Dorset graphic collection. The print is presented with an unusual crop for this era of printmaking in Kinngait, where each bird is rendered with a simplicity that belies the complexity of their interlocked shapes atop the water.Kananginak Pootoogook's skill in stencil and stonecut artistry shines in this work, where the stenciled blue ink translates luminously as the white of the sheet glimmers through, creating an effect akin to sunlight dancing on the water’s surface. Atop the waves, the jet black ink laid with a stone block interplays with the negative space of the sheet to form these cheerful birds that bob gracefully on the cold Arctic sea.
References: For the artist’s other prints, see Men at Play, 1961 #47, First Arts, 21 March 2024, Lot 20. See Walrus, 1964 (1964/5 #66). The artist is also a talented throat singer whose vocals were featured in the 1994 film On Deadly Ground. For drawings by and an interview with the artist, see Jean Blodgett & Susan Gustavison, Strange Scenes: Early Cape Dorset Drawings, (Kleinberg, ON: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1993), p. 76-77.
Provenance
Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle.1of 9